Paper review: EU referendum ‘hope’ and ‘no Trump visit’

Image caption The Guardian says there is hope for a second EU referendum after former UKIP leader Nigel Farage made a “surprise call” for a fresh vote. The paper says the “most obvious” vote would be on whether to accept a deal Theresa May can negotiate with Brussels. Image caption It’s chilly on the UK high street, according to the FT, after shops including M&S and Tesco reported weak Christmas sales and saw shares plummet. It says it is a sign of the “precarious state” of the consumer economy. Image caption The government is to give banks a “secret list” of illegal migrants suspected of hiding in the UK, writes the Daily Telegraph. It says banks will be “ordered” to close their accounts in a bid to force people to leave the country. Image caption A&E doctors have warned the prime minister about “intolerable” conditions which they say are endangering lives, reports the i, with the headline: “Patients dying in hospital corridors”. Image caption Thousands more patients went to hospital with flu last week, writes the Times. It says cases rose 50% in the last seven days – prompting renewed calls for compulsory vaccinations for frontline NHS staff. Image caption US President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned state visit to Britain, claims the Daily Mail. The paper reports he has pulled out of a £750m embassy opening amid fears he “won’t be made welcome”. Image caption Wrap up warm, the Daily Star tells readers, as it warns an “Arctic blast” is set to cause temperatures to plummet to -10C (14F) next week. Image caption The Mirror leads on Mr Farage’s “astonishing” call for a second EU referendum , pointing to its own poll which suggests 55% of people would vote for remain in a new vote. Image caption The Daily Express says Mr Farage told twitter followers that he feared a second EU referendum “may be forced upon us”. Image caption The Sun claims Tory MP Peter Bone has left his wife – who he often referred to as “Mrs Bone” in Parliament – for another woman. Mr Bone told the newspaper he and his wife had been living apart for two years.

The paper says that family doctors have seen twice as many people with flu-like symptoms compared with last year.

The Daily Mail says it’s the worst outbreak for seven years and GPs are “overwhelmed”, with patients “queuing out the door”.

The Daily Mirror reports that the chief medical officer for England believes it should be compulsory for NHS staff to have a flu jab, as four-in-five medics fail to get immunised.

‘Foolish’ Farage

Whether Nigel Farage wants a second EU referendum or not troubles the papers.

The i says he seemed to say so on TV on Thursday morning, before an apparent volte face.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the former UKIP leader – writing for their digital service – clarified his remarks, saying he didn’t want a second vote but that the best defence of the “referendum victory” was to be alive to having to do it again.

The Guardian reports that his initial remarks were seized upon by Remainers, with Labour’s Chuka Umunna saying Mr Farage had made “a valid point for the first time in his life”.